Marlon James and Douglas Stuart compete for Booker Prize

Jamaican author Marlon James and Scotland’s Douglas Stuart are among the finalists for the Booker Prize, which is being awarded in London. Both authors have the opportunity to become two-time winners of the prestigious fiction award.

James is a favorite for the 50,000 pound prize with his work “The Disappearers,” which focuses on a group of gay men in 1980s Jamaica. Stuart is also a leading contender with “John of John,” a story set on a remote Scottish island. The shortlist, selected from 163 submitted novels, also includes Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout.

Separately, Jamaican authors have been recognized in Toronto. A documentary titled “Copper Woman: Afua Cooper and her Poetry” was screened at the University of Toronto, highlighting the career of Dr. Afua Cooper as a pioneering voice in Canadian dub poetry and scholar of Black Canadian history. Additionally, veteran author Pamela Mordecai is scheduled to launch a new collection of stories.